The Cardinal and the Hare
by Gear001
Summary: The Hare hops around in the meadow, the Card'nal watches over the Hare, the Card'nal protects the rabbit as the Viper brings its fangs to bare. [Cover Image: "Cardin Winchester" by makeupaname on DeviantArt]


_Author's Note: Hey folks! Been a little while. While I take care of some things on the personal side of the spectrum and further develop R-W-B-Y-S, have a gander at this little piece, put together as a little side story to my magnum opus. For those of you just joining, don't worry, you don't have to know anything about my other fic to get what's going on, this piece is also completely standalone. There are a few little references here and there, but aside from that you can just dive right in to this._

_For those that ARE familiar with my magnum opus, in the continuity I've established in R-W-B-Y-S, this takes place a few months prior, around the end of everyone's second year at Beacon._

_With that all said, let's jump right in! :D_

* * *

_For all "Suggested Listenings", I suggest utilizing The Infinite Looper. Just Google "InfiniteLooper", take the music's video URL, copy, and paste! It's easy and will improve your experience!_

* * *

The Cardinal and the Hare

_The Hare hops around in the meadow, the Card'nal watches over the Hare, the Card'nal protects the rabbit as the Viper brings its fangs to bare._

-_One Week After Beacon Midterms, Second Year of Education for Teams RWBY, JNPR and CRDL-_  
_- Suggested Listening: "Suit Fall", Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary OST-  
_

_Damnit Lark, just had to go an offer them a hand, didn't you?_

Cardin scowled as he sat in the reading area of one of the many book stores in Vale, _The Lazy Llama_. It was a glowing Saturday afternoon, the weekend having hit its stride with dozens of people passing the shop windows every few minutes. At this particular moment, the brown haired boy was growling silently to himself, glancing out the pane at the pedestrians that floated by. He would rather be out there pounding the pavement along with them, feeling the cobblestone underneath his feet as he and his 'friends' traipsed around town searching for something exciting to do. Indigo eyes slanted as they curved their way over to the other three members of CRDL.

'Friends' was certainly putting it one way, though 'mutually bound acquaintances' would probably be more accurate. The team had been shoehorned together after their initiation at Beacon and still hadn't really 'clicked' all that well, not that any of them would readily admit it.

First was Russel Thrush, the only member of the three that Cardin genuinely felt was closest to _being_ a friend. The teen's trademark green mohawk poked out from behind a display of books, the cardboard barrier masking the warrior's movements. A moment passed and his full head popped up above the obstacle, gaunt, pointy chin and flashing blue eyes becoming more visible.

In an unusual circumstance he was wearing the Beacon school blazer and tie instead of his normal green ripped-sleeves hoodie, his stiff movements testament to his displeasure of having to wear the clothing outside of classes. The stringy boy placed a cardboard box on a nearby reading table and threw the flaps open.

The grimace on the teen's face also alerted Cardin that he wasn't alone in wishing he was somewhere else at that point.

His eyes drifted over to one of the causes of their mutual discomfort, the third member of CRDL, Dove Bronzewing. The sandy haired fighter had just returned from hauling another box like the first from the back of the store, eyes squinted as they almost always were. Once more, like his two teammates, Dove was wearing the school's uniform and not his regular brown armor. The satisfied grin he wore made Cardin's blood boil.

"Hey, Cardin! Can you help me with this?"

The voice came from the doorway to the back of the shop.

Cardin's grimace morphed into a full-on snarl.

_The deal was I wasn't going to be doing _any _of this…_

Beyond the doorway was the heart of Cardin's strife; Sky Lark. Blue, slicked locks bobbed out from behind the frame, expectant sapphires bearing into Cardin's head. Feeling an enraged heat build in his throat, Cardin prepared to rebuke his 'subordinate', only to have the desire quashed by the kindly old man walking into view behind the bluenette.

_Damnit Lark…_

He plastered a grin to his face and stood, intending to acquiesce to his 'buddy's' request if only to keep up an appearance of team leadership. The older man smiled at Cardin's movement, the small, round-tipped fuzzy ears atop his head waggling with approval. This only added to the leader's disdain.

He _politely_ pushed past the pair and sent a silent nod to Lark, indicating '_let's get this over with'_. The teen responded in kind by walking ahead of Cardin and taking the lead, leaving the old man to walk out into the store and address Thrush and Bronzewing. They twisted down the second row of shelves on their left, the metal bracers stretching well into the nine-foot ceiling. Once he was sure they were out of earshot Cardin slapped the other teen on the back of the head.

"What's this all about? Deal was I didn't have to do any of this work if Russel and I tagged along!" Cardin sneered.

The bluenette recoiled with the blow and sent a sharp glare back at Cardin, earning an unimpressed gaze from the taller boy.

"Hey!" Lark snapped back, shoving Cardin in the sternum. "I, no, _we_ owe him for getting us replacements of our books after that whole syrup incident with the Valkyrie girl," the shorter teen explained indignantly. "Do a little work for the guy that saved your ass from Jeremiah's test, would you?"

Cardin chewed his lip, lilac eyes knotting at Lark.

"I will _never_ be in debt to one of those filthy half-breeds, you hear me! Let alone do work for one," Cardin hissed, careful to keep his voice low.

"Well too bad," Sky retorted, approaching a rather large cardboard box. "You are and you're going to. You're the strongest one here and the only one that can help me lift this thing," he kicked the box, "out there."

Cardin felt himself baring his teeth in reaction to the treatment, a primal angry growl escaping his lips through the gnashed jaws. It had been like this ever since the Forever Falls incident last year, when Jaune Arc had shown the entire team up by single-handedly taking out an Ursa, a beast that Cardin had cowered from. To this day he spurned that moment of his life.

However, it had push a change in the team, a subtle shift that turned into an inescapable ravine as their first year had gone on. His period of weakness had shown a kink in his tough-guy routine, one that Sky had evidently picked up on. As the months passed the other boy, and by association his troublesome partner Bronzewing, had become more resistant to Cardin's commands. Questioning orders in the field, calling him and Russel out on issues pertaining to their teasing of the other students, becoming more aggressive and demanding of his teammates; all of which seemed to be becoming reoccurring trends within the team. Sometimes it felt as though Lark were in charge, not Cardin.

"C'mon Cardin, after this all we have to do is stock the shelves and we're done. It's not that hard," Lark commented briskly, positioning himself on the side of the box opposite the rust head. "Even a caveman could do this, so get over here and start lifting."

The mutual glare between them flickered and flared, not wavering for even a second. However, as with all things, it naturally dissipated.

"Boys! Everything alright back there?" came a weathered voice. Cardin immediately raised a much more cheerful mask to his face, as did Lark. The two turned to find the proprietor of the shop, the elderly faunus man, looking at them with a quirked brow and attentive ears.

"Yeah," Sky covered immediately, expertly putting a sincere glint in his eye. "Just couldn't decide how to go about lifting the box."

"It's a little wide to go through that door," Cardin added in, picking up on and compounding the ruse. "I told you we'd have to turn it on its side Lark, doing it like this will just leave us bumping off the wall like a bad comedy shtick," Cardin chuckled.

Sky gave a soft huff in amusement.

Cardin gave a genuine smile, if only briefly. The fact that the two had played along so well meant that they were still friends to some degree. Even if it had been faked, it felt real, a momentary relief from the strife that'd befallen the rest of CRDL. Almost immediately Cardin felt the pangs of regret in his stomach. Why? He wasn't completely sure, but he felt… weak.

"I see. That does make sense then, it's always a pickle getting some of these things in properly," the man said with a soft smile. "Don't fret too much though; a few things getting bent won't be the end of it. Just make sure you don't blow up the city or something," the llama faunus chuckled lightly, moving back through the door to the store.

The smiles dropped ever so slightly, though their lips remained screwed somewhat upward just in case the owner decided to come back in. Eyes locked in a moment of spite before the two turned to finishing the task at hand.

With little fanfare they set about completing the chores, Cardin desperately holding onto his feign smile the entire time. Eventually they finished, the four members of CRDL standing idly as the aged shop keep, Mr. Kcuz, set about tidying just a few things before addressing the boys. Cardin took a glance out the window, trying to find something to pass those few, boring seconds. He found mild interest in the passing city-goers. A faunus briefly passed in front of the window, one with pale skin that seemed to have some form of scaly carapace. Slit eyes met Cardin's ever so quickly before the stranger vanished into the day.

"Well boys, you did a great job. Would've taken me all day to do this by myself," Mr. Kcuz smiled, steadily approaching the group. Cardin and Sky both moved to respond, but they were interrupted.

The shop's bell rang and the collective five turned to see who'd just walked in. Black bow atop her head, in walked one Blake Belladonna, a small collection of hardbacks pressed close to her torso by crossed arms.

"Ah, Ms. Belladonna! How's your afternoon treating you?" Mr. Kcuz asked, immediately stepping away from the boys to address her.

"It's going well, thanks for asking. My boyfriend's been nagging me for a date, so I decided to drop the books you gave me off before I forgot," she answered, a pleasant smile draping her lips. Her eyes seemed to reflexively scan the room, her golden orbs settling on Cardin and his crew. "Team CRDL? I… didn't expect to see you here…"

"We owed pops here a favor. In fact, we were just leaving," Cardin spoke up, desperately trying to restrain the venom in his tongue. He grabbed Russel by the bicep and began to pull him towards the exit.

_Just keep it cool till we're out of here…_

"Wait! Wait, wait, wait…" Mr. Kcuz stopped the boys, hurrying to their sides. He walked over to a shelf and pulled out a set of four books. He stepped up and handed one to each of the team members. Cardin looked at his and found it to be an advanced training manual for mace-based combat. He gave the old man a cocked brow, to which he received a lighthearted laugh. "Did you think I was asking you boys what you were proficient in just for fun? Good work deserves a reward! I know you probably know most of what's in those books, but even a little something new can help from time to time…"

The teens stood there awkwardly, Cardin himself flipping the book over front to back, unsure of how to proceed. The gesture was… nice. He decided to be… nice.

"T-Thanks…" he meeped out, rubbing the back of his head. "But you really didn't have to, really…"

Mr. Kcuz waved a dismissive hand in the air. "It's not a problem, though I would like those back. Consider them on extended loan; just return them before you graduate."

"I… thanks, sir! We'll be sure to use them wisely!" Lark smiled. He nodded to the door. "C'mon guys, we still have that paper to do for Oobleck, we should get a jump on it while we're ahead." Lark, along with Thrush and Bronzewing, exited the shop, passing by the RWBY representative without so much as a word.

Cardin was about to follow before Mr. Kcuz grabbed his arm. His immediate reaction was to try and shove it off, his façade falling almost immediately at the prospect of physical contact. However, the man's grip remained surprisingly strong.

"You know…" the old man whispered, so only Cardin could hear. "The ears aren't just for show…"

Cardin's heart stopped as the man spoke. So had he heard what he and Lark had been talking about?

"Admittedly, a few of us do smell from time to time, but so do average humans," the old man chuckled quietly. "I'm not mad, just know that there's more to a person than the funny ears popping out of their head." Mr. Kcuz turned and met eyes with Belladonna, the two sharing soft, knowing smiles. The darker girl's seemed to be tainted by slight remorse, but it was still definitely genuine.

Cardin looked between the two, somewhat confused, though that quickly shifted to relief when the man let go of his arm.

"Have a good day, Mr. Winchester, I hope my book serves you well," the shopkeep smiled. Cardin just stared at him, eyes blinking somewhat in surprise.

"Yeah… you too…" he stuttered, heading for the door.

"Now Ms. Belladonna, would you care for some tea before you head out? Some coffee perhaps?" the old man asked, the words fading as Cardin walked farther away.

"Yes, tea would be lovely."

* * *

-_A Month and One Week After Beacon Midterms_-

A month passed.

"…_and that's the weather for the next few days. Onto today's big stories. The rash of murders plaguing Vale has risen to a staggering fifty-two victims in the past three months, the latest being that of twenty-four year old Mert Vets, a faunus dance instructor on the south side of town. Police are-_"

Cardin shut off the radio and tried to focus on his paper. It wasn't working. This would be a nice time to have Arc do it for him, but _someone_ just had to go and grow balls in Forever Fall. He crumpled the horribly started report and tossed it into the wastebasket.

He looked over at the book he'd gotten from the shopkeeper. Normally he wasn't one for reading, but when he cracked open the cover he found it to be… interesting. So much so that by the midweek he'd already finished it. Not a day later during regular sparring he found himself using some of the advice the pages had to offer. Admittedly, he still lost the bout, but it was of no fault of the book. If anything it had helped him stay in the ring longer. It was the fact he'd been paired up against Pyrrha Nikkos that really did him in. After that he read the book almost religiously, looking for new strategies and techniques to exploit. The next match he had with Nikkos had been closer. He still lost, but it had certainly been closer.

He reached for a fresh sheet of paper before deciding it would ultimately accomplish nothing. Something was nagging his mind and he couldn't focus. Deciding it would be a good time for a walk he left the dorm, exiting through the fine oaken doors of the building and out into the bright spring day.

His walk brought him to one of the gardens scattered around Beacon, winding up near the rose bushes. After a few minutes he came across a fellow batch of walkers. However, only one among them really caught his eye.

A frail girl, significantly shorter than him and her compatriots, stood between her two friends. Her brown combat gear clung to her skin in tight but gentile curves, highlighting her lanky form, the golden pauldrons clashing against the chocolate of her long hair. But what stood out most prominently from the girl were a pair of long, flexing rabbit ears.

Cardin's thoughts immediately jumped back to Mr. Kcuz and his set of fuzzy llama ears.

He watched her from a distance, laughing with her friends, joking and talking. They looked almost… normal…

_No, they're not… freaks of nature, all of them…_ he muttered to himself. _Mom always said never to trust faunus, that they were always looking for a way to get us back for the war…_

_Then how come that shop keeper lent your team his books? He put his trust in you…_ another side of his mind argued back.

_That's different, he… he owed us for helping him. Only right for the freaks to owe us…_

_Actually, we owed _him_, he was doing that as a favor, like a thank you for keeping up your part of a bargain._

Cardin growled to himself. _Shut up, shut up! He's a freak, a monster, only a little better than freaking Grimm! Why are you arguing against me?_

_I'm just as confused as you are! I'm just trying to help sort things out!_

He shook his head. This was getting irritating.

The trio parted ways, the rabbit faunus striking out alone while the other two left as a pair. What Cardin failed to realize was that he was walking on a path that bisected the one that the girl was strolling across. His conflicted thoughts kept him occupied while her airy mood served as her distraction.

"Hey! Watch i-!"  
"Oh! I'm so sorr-!"

They met halfway.

Cardin stepped back abruptly, realizing exactly what had happened. He watched her do the same, her lighter build doing nothing for her balance when confronted by his wall of a body. She faltered before finally catching herself, bobbing her head to get a good look of the person she'd run into. Her eyes, wide with concern, dropped almost immediately into a panicked fear.

"Cardin!"

He narrowed his eyes. A slew of thoughts raced through his head, each one beating against the inside of his skull like a jackhammer, each one contradicting the last. It was confusing him, it was _hurting _him. And it was _her _fault. He lashed out in retaliation, gripping one of her ears near the base.

"Yah! What're yo-?!" she screamed, tumbling forward.

"Watch where you're going, lettuce-breath!" he snarled, giving her ear another good tug.

"Ouch! Please!" the girl cried, clawing at his hands. "You're going to tear it off, please!" her voice became scratchy and desperate, nowhere near the simple irritation he'd enjoyed hearing before.

That voice made him cringe. His hand reflexively tightened, but his shock staved off another pull. She writhed under his superior grip, digging her nails around his fingers to try and pull them apart. The attempt failed, of course, but the shifting did help him notice how soft the fur along her flexing ear was. Almost like a small layer of pillows on top of a ribbon.

His grip relaxed.

"Cardin man, stop it!"

Cardin tumbled to the side as someone tackled him from the side. The girl's ear slipped out of his grip, the soft hairs sliding through his palms before disappearing completely. For a moment he longed to hold it again.

He finally regained his senses, realizing that it was none other than Sky Lark that had shoved him to the ground. Cardin shifted to one knee and watched as Dove ran to the girl's side, laying a comforting arm across her shoulder and using the other to help rub her sore ear.

Lark glanced back at the two before refocusing on Cardin.

"Shit, Cardin, I didn't think you'd ever got this far to torture her…" The bluenette scowled, turning on his heel. He walked over and doubled up Bronzewing's efforts to care for the wounded faunus. Sky turned back to the still stunned Cardin. "I'm not… _we're _not laughing anymore. Never go near her again, got it?" he hissed, bobbing his head to Dove. The brown-themed warrior nodded and the pair escorted the crying girl out of the garden.

Cardin just sat there, mouth agape, as the trio left.

Lark had hit him. Lark had _tackled_ him. Because he was _protecting a filthy faunus._

This last week had been a trip and a half for Cardin and it was only getting worse.

Gritting his teeth he slammed his fist down into the paved path, his strength and aura gnashing through the stone like paper. Spider cracks covered the sectioned slab, a small crater forming at the epicenter.

_WHY IS EVERYTHING SO DAMN CONFUSING?!_

"You know, there are better ways of dealing with frustration than breaking a _very_ expensive garden walkway…"

Cardin's head jerked upward, being met with a very finely polished pair of dress shoes. His gaze traveled even more skyward before locking with the amused mahogany eyes of the school's Headmaster. Cardin's brow twitched.

"Professor Ozpin! Y-you… you saw that?" he sputtered, standing and staggering back.

"Hmm… yep," the Headmaster replied simply, taking a drag from his coffee. "The whole thing. Very peculiar, might I say. You seem to have trouble with your subordinates, don't you? Not to mention your anger issues." The man took another swig, tucking his trademark cane under his arm and retrieving a small scroll from an interior coat pocket. "Ms. Goodwitch, please look into repairing a damaged section of the rose garden walkway. Seems something rather large left quite a dent in it."

"_Yes sir, I'll add it to the list… do you think it was Ms. Valkyrie? Again,_" the speakers crackled.

Ozpin glanced between the pad, the cracks, and Cardin, before returning to the pad itself, "I can't tell, to be honest. Thank you for the assistance my dear." The Headmaster closed the scroll and returned the cane to its proper place on the ground. He looked his pupil right in the eyes before stating, "Come, share a walk with me."

Cardin silently obeyed, following behind without a word. They strolled in silence, neither uttering a peep until they'd reached one of the garden paths near the northern end of the school, upon which their movements slowed to better take in the scenery.

"Mr. Winchester, why is it that you are attempting to become a Huntsman?" Ozpin asked, bending down to smell a small patch of violets.

Cardin shifted and scratched the back of his head before replying, "It's in my blood I guess. My family is filled with Huntsmen and Huntresses, so I guess it was a calling of mine to follow in their footsteps." His words came out staggered. He wasn't used to explaining his motives. He liked boasting about his family, but this was something different. Ozpin _knew_ who he was, so being asked about it seemed… unusual.

"I see, so you feel the need to fulfill family tradition and your own desire to be a hero?" Ozpin asked, standing and cocking a brow. Cardin nodded, still somewhat unnerved by the man's questions. "Intriguing. May I ask why you were so rudely gripping at Miss Scarlatina's ears? And why you decided to punch my garden?"

Cardin's back straightened. "I… she ran into me… and the faunus… she doesn't deserve to be… she's just a… hairball… a freak…" he wiped his fingers over his face and pulled at the skin. "Hell, I don't know anymore…"

Ozpin gave the boy another analytical stare.

"You're not the first person I've met with prejudices, Mr. Winchester, but you certainly seem to be one of the most conflicted. Why is that, do you suppose?" he asked, taking a sip from his coffee before beginning to walk once more.

"Mom and Dad always told me stories about the war, about what kinds of things happened during it, about how the faunus would always look for ways to overthrow us, if we showed just a single moment's weakness…" Cardin explained, following behind. "That they were freaks, monsters, and that we should make them pay for the war… but…"

"But…?" Ozpin echoed, putting his coffee to his lips.

"But… I don't know…" he admitted finally, laying his confusion on the table. "I've never met a mean faunus, so many of them I just picked on because… It made me feel better… Made me proud that I was doing what my parents told me… Powerful. But too many of them have been so nice to me… even when I'm not…"

Ozpin stopped in his tracks and readjusted his glasses, keeping his back to Cardin.

"What is the job of a Huntsman, young man?"

"'To protect the civilized world from the threat of the Grimm and any of those that threaten peace,'" he answered quickly, spouting off the creed that Professor Port had bashed into their skulls repeatedly.

"Perhaps, then, _that_ is why you feel conflicted? You were raised with two issues dominating your life. One social, the faunus, and one personal, the will to be a hunter. The only issue I see there is that the faunus exist, like it or not, and fall under the protection of Huntsmen and Huntresses, same as anyone else. They are a fact of nature and unless you have some radically ulterior motives and a rather devious plot, they're not going away any time soon. However, your fate as a warrior of justice is still in question, a question that you will have to answer at some point. So I ask you now; will you let your prejudice get in the way of your dream, of your _calling_? Or will you cast it to the side to do what your heart tells you is just?"

Cardin stood there, frozen. All the pieces clicked into place. But they still did not hold an answer for him.

"I… I don't know…"

The Headmaster sighed.

"I expected that answer. I'll be honest and say that people are forced to grow up far too quickly. I wish I could give you all the time in the world to sort this out, but it's pertinent that you tackle this issue… before it tackles _you_," Ozpin explained, turning to meet Cardin's injured stare. A cool gust washed past them. The silver-haired teacher looked to his watch and blinked. "It's been a pleasure talking with you, Mr. Winchester, but I must be off. Many papers to attend to, grades to manage, that sort of thing," the Headmaster said, turning on his heel and heading down the garden path. "Have a good day, I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors. Just remember, leadership stems from resolute action and belief; any moment where you have neither of those you will find yourself failing."

A few moments later, Ozpin was well outside of earshot, and a few more after that he'd disappeared behind a bend in the school.

Cardin was left there, alone with his thoughts, in a garden of velvet petals.

* * *

A day later, that Sunday, Cardin made the decision to return the book. He'd scribbled down a few of the more obscure tips, ones that could come in handy, before embarking back into the city for the day.

Eventually he made his way to the store, tapping the hard cover against his fingernails the entire time. He was nervous. It felt… _wrong_ to be doing this for a faunus, to show appreciation. But the book had helped, so he figured proper thanks were due.

He pushed open the door, the little chime ringing him into the shop. A once over of the shop and the owner wasn't to be found.

"Mr. Kcuz? Hello?" Cardin started, peering around the rows of bookcases to make sure he hadn't accidentally missed the shorter man. Finding no sign of the faunus Cardin edged his way to the back of the store, to the storage area.

"Uh… Mr. Kcuz? Uh… Sir?" Cardin stuttered out, the book still clutched in his hands as the awkward name bumbled out of his mouth. "I… Mr. Kcuz? I just wanted to return that book you lent me!"

His voice echoed through the shelves.

He stepped deeper into the room, peering through the shelves for any indication that the man was there. While the shop itself was open, with the lights on and even some of the rudimentary coffee making supplies running, the back was cast in inky shadows. A try of the light switch did nothing to alleviate the darkness, as it looked like the bulbs in the suspended lamps had been shattered.

And then, stepping past the second row of shelves, he found the shopkeep.

The man was laying face down on the floor, splayed out like a marionette with his head turned away from Cardin. The Huntsman in training immediately rushed to the man's side, unable to speak a single word through a sudden bout of panic. As he reached the man's body he managed to make out a trail of dark, frothing liquid escaping from the faunus' mouth and nose. The man's eyes were rolled back and blank, his tongue sticking out at an odd angle.

Cardin reached for the storeowner's neck, feeling for a pulse.

One that wasn't there.

"Oh… sh…" Cardin whispered, fumbling into his pocket. He drew out his scroll and immediately dialed the emergency number.

"_Vale Emergency, what is your situation?_"

"I'm at…" his breath shuddered as he realized he'd have to say the name of the shop, "'The Lazy Llama' bookstore, near the corner of 3rd East and Sailset. I found the guy who owns the place in the back of the store. He's… _foaming_ at the mouth, I think it's blood… he doesn't have a pulse…" Cardin stammered. "I think he's… damnit I think he's dead…"

"_Understood, we have dispatched officers to your location. Please stay on the line until they arrive, and do not attempt to move the man in any way._"

Cardin breathed.

"I… got that…" he replied quietly. "Thank you."

He stepped away from Mr. Kcuz, dazed. Reaching the end of the aisle he slid down against the edge of the opposing row of shelves in full view of the open backroom door, staring at the faunus' lifeless form with a wavering brow.

Dead. Mr. Kcuz was dead.

He had been nice to Cardin.

Dead.

Cardin gripped his temples and slammed his head back against the shelves, the metal of his armor and the bone of his skull bouncing off the steel frame with a loud clang.

"_What was that? Are you okay?"_

Cardin looked down to the scroll in his hands having forgotten about the dispatcher on the other end.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just hit my head as all…" he mumbled, looking into the darkness around him. It was then that he noticed something just beyond Mr. Kcuz's unmoving body. It was a manhole cover, one that he'd failed to notice the last time he was in the shop. The heavy metal plate was dislocated from its proper slot in the floor, one end poking out of the ground, while the other was left dipping into the hole at a minute angle.

Cardin was just about to stand and investigate only to catch a glimpse of flashing red and blue out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey, it looks like they're here. Thanks for the help…" he said quietly into his scroll's microphone.

"_Not a problem, best wishes._"

Cardin closed the line as the cops walked into the store.

It took them only a couple of minutes to assess the situation, getting down Cardin's statement before wheeling the old man out on a stretcher. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Cardin had been led over to one of the small café tables and given a warm drink and a blanket. He didn't need the blanket and draped it over one of the adjoining chairs, though he did down the drink. It was sweet, though he wasn't entirely sure what it was.

"So… yous thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

Cardin's ears perked, turning to watch the two detectives that had interviewed him speaking near the entrance to the store.

"Fits the MO, may have to call number fifty-four."

"Geez, fifty-three's not even cold. That's three in one week, two in a day. 'ee's upin' 'is ante by my guess."

"We need a lead on this guy ASAP or we're gonna be swimmin' in demotions…"

"Nah, what we _really_ need is a vacation. C'mon, Cathy's makin' coffee down at the station. We'll let forensics take care'a this for now…"

_There are more?_

Now that he thought about it, he remembered hearing something about a string of murders happening over the last few months.

_So… was he just another victim? No… he couldn't be… he was too kind… he deserved more recognition! He… deserved better…_

Angry, Cardin stood, shaking the thoughts away. He left his drink and the book, which had stayed gripped in his hand since the beginning, eagerly anticipating getting back to the dorm, getting out of his armor and collapsing on his bed.

What he didn't realize, what not even the detectives managed to notice… was that the manhole cover was now closed.

* * *

-_One Month and Two Weeks After Beacon Midterms_-

The next few days had been relatively uneventful, if not unsuitably dreary. It had absolutely poured for the last stretch, blanketing the city in water for almost three straight days.

There was a small funeral service for Mr. Kcuz, though none of team CRDL attended. The only reason they'd learned about it was because Cardin was the one who found the body. He'd given the invitation a cold-shoulder and let the letter sink to the bottom of the wastebasket.

The weekend came, and once more the team was down in the city, stocking up on food for their dorm. Like usual, the argument of which snacks to buy was the primary concern of the day, a war raging between Thrush with his tendency towards cookies and Bronzewing with his want of brownies. Even with his faltering command Cardin would normally step in and just force them to buy one or the other, but this time he was silent, his mind drifting off as the two bickered.

Lark, seeing his opening, jumped forward and made the declaration that they'd go with Thrush's choice for the day and next time they'd go with Bronzewing's. Matter settled, the four left the shop, Cardin uttering not a peep as they walked.

His thoughts were preoccupied with the murders, something of a morbid curiosity spurring him to do research into them. Most of the victims were faunus, but nothing remarkable stood out about them, nothing unusual of note. They were… _normal_ people. A few normal human's had been killed too, but those were a little more noticeable, being higher-ups of significant civil rights groups across Vale.

Cardin grimaced. The only think that connected the deaths were the MO; either poison delivered by a long needle or death by punctured artery. What seemed to stump both himself and the police was the lack of connection between any of the victims.

Just then he felt something run into him. More accurately, _someone_.

It was the faunus girl again, the one with the rabbit ears. She wasn't wearing her battle gear like she was last time, apparently opting for the school uniform instead.

She'd crashed into his chest, her body shivering against his shirt.

"God, do you _ever_ look where you're going?!" he hissed, grabbing her by the wrists and pushing her back. She looked up at him, eyes wide and quivering.

_This girl just doesn't know how to stay out of my way…_

"No… you don't under… I…" she stammered, tears prickling on the sides of her lids. It looked like she was forcing the words out.

Movement behind Cardin told him that his 'buddies' were about to lend assistance to the girl like they had last time. He wasn't going to have any of that kind of embarrassment again.

"Just get out of here!" he snarled, shoving her hands to the side. She stumbled to the lip of the sidewalk, just staring at him, brown orbs still laced with fear.

"P-plea…" she coughed.

Cardin ignored the rough catch in her voice.

"GO!" he shouted, turning away. Giving a limp hand signal, he beckoned the rest of his team to follow, which they did, each giving the girl a passing glance before waltzing down the streets after him.

A mewling whimper was the last thing he heard from her before he rounded the corner.

He didn't need her distracting him with her filthy, disgusting, soft ears…

* * *

The trip home had been a short one, lasting only an hour from dock to dock.

Walking into the dorms, groceries in tow, CRDL calmly traipsed their way across Beacon's grounds. They were almost in the door when the collective form of team RWBY came barreling out.

"C'mon guys!" their young leader cried, sprinting down the lawn towards the dock.

"Slow down you dolt, I'm the only one who can convince the pilot to leave early!" the Schnee girl sneered, galloping after her partner.

The raven-haired member of the team was next in line, silently stepping past them in a hurried clip, a scowl across her features. Behind her was her blonde partner, who in turn twisted to shout back into the hall, "Hurry up guys!" before dashing forward, eyes drawn in determined anger.

The four boys looked up to find the collective of team JNPR coming towards them, all equally as rushed as the all-girl team.

Cardin knew Jaune. He may not have liked the boy, but he respected the fumbler as a leader and a good-natured shmuck. So seeing a worried face on the shorter blonde only served to set Cardin even less at ease. He attempted to stop the four in their tracks with a raised hand.

"What's got you guys in this kind of rush?" he asked, lavender eyes narrowing.

Jaune, surprisingly, stopped, waving his other three compatriots to move forward. The Valkyrie girl and her boy toy continued forward, the bubbly redhead disturbingly quiet. Something was definitely wrong. Pyrrha stayed behind with her boyfriend, hand resting on his shoulder.

"Velvet's gone missing. Her team called and said that she didn't meet up with them when they were supposed to an hour ago," the blonde explained, blue eyes glancing towards the airship port. It took Cardin a moment to recognize the name before realizing it was that of the faunus girl. "They wouldn't normally worry, but she's not answering her scroll and they all left their weapons at the school, so they're fearing the worst. They asked us and RWBY to help look for her."

"Well, that's dumb, what if it's just a reception problem?" Russel spoke up, mowhawk bobbing in the wind.

Jaune shook his head.

"For an hour? Scrolls get pretty good reception in the city, so losing it is a pretty bad sign to begin with. Besides, even if there wasn't an issue, it's better safe than sorry," he answered.

"We saw her," Cardin spoke up. The other five people turned to him, all with different levels of confusion and surprise. He ignored them. "We were heading back from the store, 20th and Sailset was the closest corner," he elaborated, walking into his dorm.

_Wait a minute… Sailset Avenue…_

He stopped in his tracks and pulled out his scroll and began looping through the information he'd collected on the murders.

All of them happened within three blocks of Sailset Avenue.

She was panicked. She was running. She could barely speak.

_Oh… crap…_

He turned just in time to see Pyrrha and Jaune about to run the field.

"Wait! Tell the Schnee girl to be a little more patient, we're coming too," he shouted, storming into the building at a much faster pace. He didn't even give time to see the reaction on the partners' faces.

His team followed him, ascending the stairs to the top floor.

"Where's this coming from?" Dove asked, still carrying the groceries.

"I might not be the brightest guy, but I know how to add. I think the guy that killed Mr. Kcuz is after her," he explained, reaching the top of the stairs and jogging towards their room. He already had his scroll out so swiping the door open was a breeze.

"How do you figure?" Lark questioned, a skeptical brow raised.

"She's never had a problem yelling at me or for help before, but this time she was practically choking on her words," he explained, running through his reasoning while donning his under-armor gear. "It looked like she was scared _before_ she ran into me and the streets all match up with where the other bodies were found. And most of them were faunus."

Sky crossed his arms. "That still doesn't mean that someone's after her…"

Cardin growled under his breath.

"Now she's missing, doesn't _that_ count for something? I'm making this an order, we're going to look for her, case closed," he snapped.

"And why should we listen to you?!" the bluenette shouted, eyes narrowed. "All you've ever done is watch out for your own ass an-!"

Lark was cut off as Cardin swiftly grabbed him by the collar and swung him so his back was thrown against the wall. The taller teen pinned his subordinate in place so the boy's feet couldn't touch ground. Cardin stared Lark, lavender eyes deadlocking with blue.

"_If we don't do something she… is… dead!_" Cardin hissed punctually. "I'm not going to let someone else die if they don't have to. I might be an asshole, she might be a filthy faunus, but I'm sure as hell not a heartless bastard. Did you forget about all that noble shit you did when I was pulling on her ears last week? I thought you cared about people and their feelings," the large man barked, hefting the boy even higher. Sky tried to answer back but Cardin cut him off. "No, you listen to me Lark, either we all go to save her, or I'm going by myself. Either way _I will make sure she gets out of there_. DO I MAKE MYSELF _CLEAR_?!" the team leader spat.

And in that one moment a sudden rush over came him, an adrenaline he'd not felt since the Emerald forest, an energy that he never thought he'd feel again. The three people around him weren't just acquaintances, they weren't just his friends, they were his subordinates. For what felt like the first time in his life, he wasn't just the leader of team CRDL in name only; he actually _was_ their leader.

Someone's life was on the line, an innocent life. He was a huntsman, trained to kill unholy abominations that threatened all of human existence. He was the captain of a team of people ready to lay down their lives for the good of mankind.

In the silence, Cardin cracked his neck, turning to send a perceptive glare to the two unpinned team members. He dropped Lark to the ground before striding towards his displayed armor.

"Suit up. We have a snake to weed out, and I know just where to start."

Ten minutes later a team left Beacon en route for the shopping district of Vale. A team that, alongside RWBY and JNPR, would go down in the history books as one of the finest fighting forces throughout all of Vytal.

* * *

Manholes. It had to be the manholes.

Cardin had figured out that much during the flight back into town. Of course, with the Schnee girl screeching in his ear the entire way, he supposed he could just be delusional thanks to sudden deafness.

He pulled up what images of the crime scenes that had been released to the public and noted the very clear presence of sewer entrances in just about every single one, not to mention his own recollection of the manhole in the back of Mr. Kcuz's shop. The three collective teams concurred to some degree, and as soon as they landed they got Velvet's team up to speed as well.

Soon enough they were off, spreading out along Sailstreet, looking for signs of moved manhole covers or the presence of the missing faunus girl.

And of course, the one place that Cardin himself had chose was the place this all started; The Lazy Llama.

The store had been locked. The key word being _had_.

With a flip of a lockpick Thrush had them inside in no time.

Passing the rows of books, some of which having been boxed for removal, they situated themselves at the back of the shop, breaking past the door and into the storage area. They sidled up to the metal slate before the combined four lifted it from its setting.

A waft of reeking air wash out, forcing them all to flinch.

"Well…" Sky started, looking to Cardin. "You're big man on campus now. You go first."

The leader just rolled his eyes, flaring his nostrils and preparing himself for the stench.

"I planned that from the start… I'm the only one going," he stated. That managed to get a round of confused stares.

"…Cardin… man, what the hell's gotten into you?" Russel asked, putting a hand on his partner's shoulder.

"I… I've been thinking about something… ever since Mr. Kcuz died…" he muttered. "People are… precious. Even if they're just faunus. Everyone…" his train of thought died out, not really sure how to word such a vague concept. He skipped past it and got to the important bit. "I'm not risking any of you," he bit his lip, "you're the closest things I have to friends here at Beacon and I've been nothing but horrible to you guys. I'm not losing you. And I'm not going to lose her either. No one dies tonight," he stood to his full height, cracking his neck before taking his first tentative steps into the entrance. "Call it guilt, call it whatever the hell you like, but I… have to do this solo," he looked each of them in the eye as his hand met the first rung of the ladder. "If I'm not back in half an hour, call the cops and the other teams."

With that, he plunged into the filth.

Admittedly, it wasn't like he was _standing_ in sewer crap. The area he'd jumped into was a three-way intersection that divided out into different parts of the sewer. It was just the _smell_ that was nigh unbearable.

He pulled out his mace and used his free hand to pinch his nose, choosing the direction that would lead him towards Sailset.

He exited out to a half-circle tunnel, one that bore a ravine in the middle that served as the main canal for the passage. Dim, green-fluorescent lights illuminated the passage, leaving the damp path bathed in sickly sage color. Sewage and water (mostly runoff from the storm, he figured) formed rapids in the dip, the stream moving faster than he assumed it was supposed to. Small catwalks served to bridge the gap between walking platforms at intersections.

"VELVET!" Cardin shouted, trying his best to cover his nose and cup his mouth. His voice bounced around the cavern before finally dissipating.

_Well… Didn't think I'd find her right off the bat…_ he though wryly.

So he began his trek, stomping around the sewers at the edge of dusk on the hunt for a rabbit lost in its hole.

While he hadn't expected an immediate response, a timely one was just as unforeseen. After about fifteen minutes he heard beeping. It was a low, whistling drone that echoed in the smooth concrete tunnels, but it was very distinct and very familiar.

A repeated tone of six high, three low, one middle; one of Beacon's emergency calls. This one in particular indicated that further visual instruction was to be found near the source of the call. At least, that's what he thought it was. After Goodwitch had mentioned the rocket-lockers he'd developed a habit of zoning her out during lectures.

Cardin followed it to its source, finding a small amount of trouble with locating it with the amplified acoustics of the sewer. Eventually he came across a broken and shattered scroll, one that had obviously been heavily rewired to produce the sounds it emitted. Carved into the screen, apparently with a rock, was a series of crude circles and tick-marks; yet another Beacon trick. A single arrow allowed the user to orient themselves, while the two circles (with their own arrows) indicated left and right turns. The staggered tick-marks represented the order of the turns one were to take to get to a specific destination. To any untrained personnel it looked like a cool little symbol. To a trained (or in-training) hunter, it was a roadmap.

_Left, left, right, left, left, left, right, right, right, left…_ he counted mentally, scribbling down the proper order into his own scroll. Orienting himself to the arrow, he took an immediate left, rushing down the corridor and following the instructions to the letter.

It wasn't a perfect system by any means. If he remembered correctly (which was in seriously in question with it being a lesson from a year prior), the Belladonna girl had asked if there was a way to tell when there were multiple turns, like when there were two rights to take, which one to choose. Goodwitch had said something about a more intricate version of the system, but that the students should simply get the core concept down.

He was about to turn left about halfway through the list when an arm launched out of the right fork and dragged him into the shadows. He was about to yell, but a hand wrapped around his mouth.

"Quiet or it'll hear you," came a rough, feminine voice. The hand relaxed and the arm loosened, letting Cardin turn on his heel.

His lavender eyes became locked with a set of tired brown orbs. It was the rabbit girl.

"…Cardin?" she asked, brows knit in confusion.

He continued staring, finding her eyes to be rather… attractive. A quick shake of his head jolted the thought away.

"Sc-Scarlatina, right?" he stuttered, caught off guard by their sudden proximity to each other. She seemed to realize it too and took a respectful step back, pulling her arms close to her chest. "You're in your uniform…" he noted, giving her a once over for injury. She seemed shaky at best, ragged at worse. The school outfit had been torn and dirtied rather thoroughly, and the girl's hair was equally as frazzled.

"Only clean thing I had…" she responded, giving a sheepish smile. The irony didn't seem to be lost on her. The smile vanished and she gave a cautious glance around. "C'mon, there's a safer place this way," she said, tugging his arm. He didn't budge, raising a brow.

"We can just go back to the exit and get out of here. That was the whole point," he explained, pointing over his shoulder. She gave him a shake of her head.

"You don't know, that thing has all of the manholes lined with alarms or something. I've tried getting out of here twice and every time it's found me before I could get out…" she clarified, taking him by the hand and dragging him deeper into the sewer.

"It?" he asked. Cardin allowed himself to be led through the tunnels, though it was against his nature.

"A faunus… I can't tell what the hell its gender is, but it's trying to kill me… They stabbed me with something on the street and I tried to run…" she explained. "I tried getting help, but the only people I found were you and your team… Whatever they did to me stopped me from talking or thinking clearly, so when you left it was easy for him to find me and drag me down here…"

"I… I'm sorry… if I'd known then…" he stuttered out.

"It's fine…" she responded, tightening her hold on his hand. Her head was bowed and he swore he could hear her sniffling. "I don't even know what he wants… I was lucky enough to get away twice, I don't want to think what would have happened if I didn't have my aura up…" her shoulders shook as she spoke. "I've been hiding down here for hours… I don't want to die, not in a sewer…"

Cardin stopped them and tightened his hold on her hand.

"I know we haven't exactly seen eye to eye... I've been…" he exhaled, failing to find the words. "I'm going to get you out of here, I promise."

She turned around and looked him in the eye. He wasn't exactly scared, but if someone could injure a huntress in training, apparently poison them to the point of capture, that made them a very, _very_ serious threat. One that Cardin wasn't sure he could handle.

"Now, did he say anything that could help us?" Cardin asked. Velvet turned around and continued walking.

"No, not really. Just kept calling me a 'collaborator' or something…" she explained. Cardin's eyes widened.

"The murders…" he breathed.

"What?" she asked, as they rounded another corner.

"That… adds up. The string of murders going through Vale, all of the victims were either normal faunus or human civil-rights leaders…" he continued. "If this guy is a faunus, and he's killing people involved with aiding faunus becoming a regular part of society…"

"Then Anguisss must be killing dirty muddling collaboratorsss, yesss…"

Cardin froze as he felt something stab into his back. The mace dropped from his hand and landed with a clatter on the ground. His eyes managed to lock with the now terrified Velvet. Her brown orbs trembled with panic.

"Vel…" he struggled out, feeling his throat locking up. "Run…"

She stepped back, letting go of Cardin's other hand before turning and sprinting down the tunnel.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah…" the voice hissed, the sound coming dangerously close to Cardin's ear. "No running on wet floorsss…"

A hand whipped over Cardin's shoulder, a small, glinting metal object flying from the grip. It hit Velvet in the back, causing her to tumble forward and onto the slick concrete. Cardin tried to throw an elbow into the person's stomach, but his body's movements were sluggish. The assailant easily shifted and threw Cardin backwards onto the ground, splashing him in a puddle of what he prayed was just rainwater.

"You're very sssmart, boy…" the person hissed, its form silhouetted in the lights. Well, partially. It seemed as if the light bent around the attacker, creating the illusion of invisibility. Only fine distortions in the air revealed the truth. The illusion faded, revealing a tall, lithe figure wearing a rather thick overcoat with long sleeves. A pale, angular, and gender-neutral face graced the assailant, as did a pair of slit green eyes. Out of the left sleeve of the coat came a thin, needle-like blade, probably mounted bellow the wrist. The invisible illusion flickered before the person's form became whole.

_Semblance…_ Cardin thought.

"You're a tough one… Anguisss was just thinking that Anguisss would only have to deal with bunny girl, not enough to kill big man. Bunniesss are good at hiding in burrowsss until help arrives, Anguiss should have thought of that, so Anguisss waited for help, and followed help to the bunny girl…" the freak observed, bending down to look Cardin in the face. Velvet had been right, the thing _didn't_ seem to have a gender. It lifted him with one arm, displaying an incredible amount of strength for someone so thin. "Going to have to nip both you dead before more collaboratorsss and _humansss_ show up…" it snarled. It lifted the blade to his face, revealing an intricate wrist-mounted weapon somewhere in the shadows of the faunus' sleeve.

He struggled against the killer's grip, feeling some of his strength already returning to him, but it wasn't enough to break free. The murderer reared back its arm before throwing it forward. Cardin flared his aura, giving his arms enough power to launch up and grab the assassin's arm, halting the blade inches from his face.

"Another aura ussser? Troubling, very troubling," the thing mumbled, flicking a broad, forked tongue between its lips. "Even more problemssss for Anguisss' poor poison. Was not ready for fightersss today. Bunny girl got away too much usssing it to jump around. Very ssspringy those bunniesss…" it remarked calmly, still trying to impale Cardin. The boy's strength was incredible to begin with, rivaling that of the Valkyrie girl in terms of pure muscle, but in his weakened state it was taking everything in him to hold back Anguis' strike.

Thinking on the spot he reared a leg up and kicked, trying to shove the monstrosity into the rushing water. While it didn't send the murder flying as he'd intended, it did serve as an opening for him to corkscrew free. He staggered to his right, hand sliding against the wall to keep balanced.

The aura around thigh prickled, warning him of an impending attack, something that would have saved him earlier if he'd thought to keep the damn thing active. He swerved to the right just as Anguis' blade flew past him, digging into the wall. Cardin lunged backwards again with his elbow, this time making an actual impact on his opponent. Anguis stumbled back, giving the boy some breathing room. He reared back and threw a fist into the faunus' face, forcing Anguis to stagger back yet again.

_Good, making progress, just gotta keep-_ Pain flared in Cardin's side, where he'd been stabbed. His aura hadn't been fast enough to seal the wound and his attack had pulled at the open flesh.

He hissed. Anguis hissed. It was rather annoying.

"Who the hell are you?" he meeped out. To his relief, his voice was returning after only that short of a bout.

"I cleanssse the world of foolsss and sssinersss…." the snake spat, sliding forward. "Humansss and collaboratorsss like the bunny girl… think they can live with the humansss… but a lie… but a lie… so I free them from the lie…" it explained, inching ever closer to Cardin. "Yesss… yesss… freedom from all the liesss…"

He noticed movement behind the assassin. Velvet stumbled forward from where she'd fallen, crawling to her feet and limping quickly towards Anguis and himself. He wanted to warn her, to tell her to run while he distracted the other faunus, but he feared that she'd be spotted and any movement he made would be sloppy and noticeable.

Velvet reached down and picked up Cardin's fallen mace along the way. For a second she paused, just as Anguis was finish its speech. And then she screamed, running forward with the bludgeon in hand.

Cardin watched, in part horror, in part gratitude, in part fascination as the frail rabbit faunus swung down the metal polearm. The jagged tips smashed into the assassin, catching Anguis completely off guard. It reeled around to better face the sudden assault, only to receive yet another blow, this time directly across its nose. Blood jumped from the wound in smattered red blobs, a small trickle managing to reach Cardin's flinching features.

Velvet let out a squeakish yell, her voice cracking under fury and wear. Cardin saw her eyes overflow with tears, her lids screw narrow and her pupils contract as she refused to let up on the _thing_ that had tried to murder her.

Another blow sent the viper faunus reeling, the physically inept killer unable to deal with an uncalculated attack. With a hiss it tried to scurry away, but it received another two blows to its chest and to its knees as its prey turned predator.

"Take _this_ you _dirty,_" she smashed the weapon into Anguis' scalp once more. "_Slimy," _a swipe at the assassin's arm left a resounding crack. "_Androgynous cretin!"_ the next blow resounded with a mechanical snapping noise. Metal bits and glass dropped out of the long black sleeves of the killer.

Anguis staggered backwards, slit eyes stapled wide with shock. Its mouth hinged and unhinged absently as its gaze became cloudy. With a shuttering arm it unrolled the sleeve the blade was contained in, revealing a wrist stained with blood, broken glass and splattered toxins, a set of shattered rotary vials at the center. The murderer let out a stifled gasp, an attempt to make words obvious in its features. All that came out was a gargling sob.

Both Velvet and Cardin gazed at the malformed shards imbedded in Anguis' arm, realizing what had just happened.

Coughing out a sob of her own, Velvet ran forward, mace held high. Tears streamed in the air behind her as her brow knitted into a warrior's peak. With one final swing to the viper's temple the assassin collapsed, the serpentine corpse slipping into the rushing waters of Vale's sewage.

_Right where he belongs…_ Cardin heard his mind mutter. He continued staring where their tormentor had fallen, a wave of relief hitting him as the torture finally came to a close.

The knight was only drawn from his thoughts by a sudden snivel coming from the lip of the narrow platform. He watched as Velvet dropped her pole-arm and crumpled to her knees, holding herself up with her hands. A hand quickly reached to her back where a throwing-syringe had imbedded itself near her spine. She pulled it out and tossed it into the rapids.

Letting out an exhausted sigh, Cardin stepped forward and kneeled down next to her, finding that her eyes were screwed shut and flowing with stubborn saline. He felt an uncomfortable pain in his chest. He'd seen the girl cry before, but it had always been at his teasing, always at his mocks and jeers.

Seeing her cry like _this_ made his skin crawl.

With a rueful grimace he did the only thing he thought he could do; he embraced her.

She didn't react immediately, her continued sobs merely becoming louder as she allowed herself to vocalize her weary distress. Not stopping she leaned into the hold before finally turning around and burying her face in his chest plate. Normally, he'd never touch a single person that was as covered in filth as she was now, her torn and tattered uniform layered with blood and other unmentionable substances, but he found that he himself was no better.

He didn't let her go, feeling instinctively that she needed this. Her hand reached up and rested at the metal collar of his armor, her whining spinning down into soft weeps.

Minutes passed, seemingly hours, before she became silent. Her hand at his neck fell loose and her head nestled into the crux of his arm, frazzled rabbit ears draping over his elbow.

Cardin stared down at her and gave his arm a little nudge, hoping to stir her. She didn't budge. The only thing keeping him from fearing the worst was the gentle breathing coming from her lips.

Without a word he repositioned himself so that he was carrying her bridal style, carefully sliding his other hand under her knees while supporting her head with the elbow it was already buried in.

A sigh escaped his lips. The weight in his arms was comfortable, as was the warmth that managed to make its way through his armor. The only thing uncomfortable was the scar on his back, the injury still mending itself with aura.

Keeping his face stoic he navigated his way back to the manhole, the whole trip taking him only about fifteen minutes once he got his bearings.

At the bottom was a police officer that gave the battered teen a once over before standing to the side and letting Cardin access the ladder. The team leader didn't bat an eye at the official; he figured his friends must have called in the cavalry when he and Velvet couldn't be found. Careful not to bump Velvet's head, he climbed, using as much dexterity as his sore muscles could muster to lift them both out of the catacombs.

The fresh air of the city streets hit him like a brick, breaking his nose of its familiarity with the sewer stench almost immediately. The waft of wet pavement, burnt rubber and sprouting flowers brought him to focus on the scene around him. There was an ambulance, four police cars and a fire truck all scattered around the manhole. As soon as he popped his head out of the entrance he was met with four other officers and a firefighter, the five combined to help lift him and Velvet from the tunnels.

Very quickly two paramedics came to check on them, hefting Velvet up onto a gurney while attempting to address the gash on Cardin's forehead. He allowed them to bandage him up before pushing them away and standing. His foot prickled, having fallen asleep rather quickly for seemingly no good reason. He brushed it off and walked over to where the medics were treating Velvet.

The unconscious rabbit faunus twitched and gave a short mewl as they began rubbing one of her various cuts and bruises with antiseptic, her face notching in pain. Cardin's chest gave another tight twist. It really was uncomfortable for him to watch.

"Will she be alright?" he asked seriously, his voice commanding. The medic to her left looked up and nodded.

"She's been drugged pretty badly it seems, but she'll be fine by morning, provided we get her to the hospital. Even then, it doesn't seem like she's been hit with anything lethal," the man explained.

Cardin released a relieved breath. That went doubly well for himself, since he wasn't sure what Anguis had knocked him out with. He was fairly certain he would survive on his own without having to visit the hospital.

The medics began loading Velvet onto the ambulance, her ears flopping wildly with the jostling of the gurney. One of the medics turned back to Cardin.

"Would you like to ride with your partner?"

The question caught him off guard. No doubt noting the Beacon uniform and the Huntsman armor assumptions could be made about the two.

"…No, she's not my partner… but thanks for asking… I'll send her team her way," Cardin stuttered out awkwardly.

The medic nodded in response and shut the door. One of the officers walked up behind him.

"Mister… Winchester is it? We need to ask you a few questions about what happened here. Your friends painted a pretty bad picture about the situation," the officer explained, nodding to his three friends standing just beyond the skewed police cruisers. Cardin shook his head in both amusement and irritation.

"I… it was pretty bad. But I managed to get her out of there…" he noted, walking towards his teammates.

"And the other faunus?" the officer tried to ask, unable to stop the towering teen from passing him.

"Gone," Cardin hissed coldly.

"Are yo-?"

"Gone." Cardin snarled. "I got to them before… _it_ got to her. I'll give my full account in the morning, but until then just know that _I_ took out the faunus murder, okay? I just want to go home."

He left the officer with that, trying to push the night's events from his head. Instead a memory of seeing Velvet from a distance, a moment before he'd moved in to mess with her. Her smile and laugh, dancing around with a friend talking excitedly about something he couldn't manage to hear.

Cardin glanced back at the retreating ambulance. She was going to be fine now. He had managed to save her.

No, he admitted only to himself, _they_ managed to save _each other_. She had come back for him even when she could have just run. It was Jaune Arc all over again, and to Cardin's chagrin, he had to admit he'd been bested by not only his opponent, but his 'ally' as well.

A small smile graced his lips before he let it slip away.

"C'mon guys, let's get out of here… I… _we_ have some practicing to do…" Cardin muttered, finally waltzing up to the other three and giving them a tired stare.

In an instant he found himself level with his teammates' belts. He blinked as they all rushed over to grab him.

"Sorry Cardin… I don't think you'll be up for much after all of that…" Lark stammered, quickly noting how Cardin had collapsed onto his knees.

"How does sleeping sound, and afterwards, maybe a nice cup of Granny Thrush's stew?" Russel asked, looping an arm under his partner. Cardin's weary arm brushed past the sickly green mohawk as he did so. The team leader let out an amused scoff.

"Yeah… actually… sleep sounds pretty good…" he mumbled, feeling his eyes droop.

_Am I really this tired? Must have been the poison…_

"Though no soup… who knows what the hell your grandma puts in that stuff…" Cardin laughed weakly. The other three helped lift him towards a cab.

"Maybe a shower too. You smell like shit man," Bronzewing chuckled.

Soon they were on their way back to Beacon. Cardin actually dozed off halfway through, lidded eyes closing as the car's movement rocked him back and forth.

The last thought on his mind was his newfound admiration for a certain chocolate-haired rabbit.

O-o-O

* * *

Deep under the roads of Vale a shadowy figure slinked through the sewers, a wounded pause in its gait.

Behind the figure was what appeared to be a corpse without bones, a crumpled pile of skin and flesh that had been left behind.

A shedding.

A second skin.

The snake was still in their midst and they were none the wiser.

* * *

_Author's Note: So I've had this cooking for quite some time and I'm glad to finally have it offloaded. I got so tired of seeing fics that portrayed Cardin like such a stereotypical asshole, and while I know that's what we know of him from the show, I like the idea that he's a better person underneath that armor (even if he doesn't realize it)._

_But yes, it's weird to say, but again I'm taking a brief break from RWBY. This is not necessarily a willing choice. I'd love to jump right back in, but I have an arrangement to finish, a 40 minute film script to write. Once that's done I'll be back to my pseudo regular updates._

_I hope you all enjoyed this story, and I wish you all a wonderful day, night, week, month and year!_

_Catch ya on the flip! :D_

_Chapter Data:_

_Pages: 29_

_Words: 11,577_


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